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The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing TODAY on President Trump’s nomination of Acting Interior Solicitor Daniel Jorjani — another historically conflicted swamp creature who has cycled through the revolving door — to become the department’s Solicitor, a key role in leadership within the Interior.
The Office of the Solicitor performs the “legal work” for Interior, and the Senate must reject such a conflicted nominee for this critical position. Will you call your senators and urge them to vote NO on Daniel Jorjani’s nomination as Solicitor of the Interior Department?
Jorjani is a former “key employee” for the oil billionaire Koch Brothers’ network, and he’s been the architect of some of the Interior Department’s most controversial legal decisions benefiting special interests.
In December 2017, Jorjani issued a legal opinion that allows energy companies off the hook for killing migratory birds — and internal department documents revealed the industry may have been involved (or at least was aware the new opinion was coming) the entire time. He also issued a favorable opinion for a Chilean mining company after meeting with their lobbyists!
Making matters worse, Jorjani is leading Interior’s efforts to thwart transparency. He has proposed rules that would allow the agency to deny Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that the department deems too “burdensome,” subjected the department to a “next level” FOIA review by the Solicitor’s office, and refused to testify at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing!
To sum it all up, in emails to department staff, Jorjani told his colleagues that “at the end of the day, our job is to protect the Secretary.” Not our public lands, not wildlife, not the environment — the Secretary.
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